"
"I hope your daughter will have no further trouble with Mr. Wood."
"No danger, Mr. Sawyer. She is going to boarding school very soon to
finish her education. Why, Mary, we have been very remiss. Can you
not offer Mr. Sawyer some refreshment?"
Mary smiled and ran from the room.
"You'll be lonely without her," remarked Quincy.
"Yes, certainly, but I shall not be alone. It's a secret as yet, but
the fact is I'm going to marry a young lady who lives in Westvale,
part of Eastborough, you know, and I don't wish to force Mary to live
with a step-mother. I think they would agree all right, but my plan
will prevent any possible unpleasantness. I love them both too well
to make them, and myself, unhappy."
Some dainty cakes, fruit, and cold well water were served in the
dining room. Quincy ate slowly, but his thoughts were not about the
food. He had shown little interest in the Fernborough girls with the
exception of those in the families of his relatives and closest
friends. But he was nearing the susceptible age, when, to a pure-
minded boy, a girl playmate, by some mysterious transformation,
becomes an object of admiration, and even veneration. That delicious
mystery that surrounds young womanhood was attracting him. Mary was
the cause of his newly-awakened interest, and soon a strong
friendship sprang up between the two.
When Hiram heard that Quincy had got the best of young Bob Wood he
ran back to the store and told his partner.
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